INTERVIEW: Talk... is... Jericho!

Last week on SmackDown, Chris Jericho was laid out in the middle of the ring. Standing above him? The Game - Triple H. That night, Jericho's match at WrestleMania was announced by The Game as being a Hell in a Cell match.

With his Intercontinental Championship - and perhaps his career - on the line in Houston, WWF.com spoke to The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla...

WWF: Thank you for joining us today, Chris.

JERICHO: The pleasure is all yours!

WWF: How does it feel to once again be Intercontinental Champion?

JERICHO: It feels great! Y2J was made to hold the gold. I fought hard to win this title and I wear it with pride.

WWF: Why did you come out on Raw a couple of weeks ago and antagonise Triple H?

JERICHO: Because it's about time someone shut his big mouth! Triple H walks around here thinking he's the man, thinking he's 'that damn good', but he needs to put up or shut up. I don't care if he beat Stone Cold Steve Austin in Three Stages of Hell, I don't care if he's survived the Hell in a Cell twice before... he needs to prove to me that he's the best.

WWF: You took things to a new level of personal when you put Stephanie McMahon in the Walls of Jericho. What drove you to do that?

JERICHO: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are dangerous together... it was Stephanie distracting me backstage that allowed Triple H to Pedigree me onto the concrete floor! So I decided to take Steph out of the equation. Those two a**clowns made it personal first.

WWF: You just endured a hellacious gauntlet match, orchestrated by Mr. McMahon himself. What was going through your mind as each new opponent came to the ring?

JERICHO: I just had to survive. McMahon threw Rikishi, Big Boss Man and the Big Show at me. It was about wearing me down, leaving me weakened so that Triple H could come and pick the meat from my bones. But that tells me everything I need to know about Hunter going into WrestleMania - he wants to take the easy road. He talks a big game, but he waited until I'd been through hell to strike. That's twice now where he's had to take me by surprise to get the better of me.

WWF: Hell in a Cell - that's what awaits you at WrestleMania. As you said earlier, Triple H has endured the structure twice before, whereas this will be your first time competing in such a stipulation. How are you preparing for what could likely be a career altering match?

JERICHO: You can't prepare. It's as simple as that. We've seen what the Cell did to Shawn Michaels, to Mick Foley... we saw how much blood was spilled at Armageddon. The Cell is scary, man. But if this is what Triple H wants, this is what he gets. I won't back down from a fight, even if my career is at stake.